New Cornerbacks Coach Chris Hampton's Message to the Team

New assistant tries to fit into Duke culture

New cornerbacks coach Chris Hampton was hired just before the start of spring practice and had to introduce himself to his new players in the abbreviated time the team had before the pandemic shutdown sent everyone in different directions.

“I came in, and basically, I tried to give everyone a clean slate,” he said. “I didn’t know any of the guys. I didn’t recruit any of them. I told them it’s a new start. Whether they were a starter or a third-team guy, everyone had a clean slate. I started off there. I wanted them to respect my honesty. In the first three practices we’ve had, I tried to be genuine with them. I probably had a few new techniques they hadn’t done, drills they hadn’t done before. That’s kind of what we got to in practice. Being hones in the meeting room, taking interest in them as people, just trying to make them better. That’s what it’s all about. If you can make guys better, help them reach maximum potential. That’s what a good coach does—gets the best of players.”

Hampton is trying to fit into the culture that coach David Cutcliffe has created at Duke, while still bringing fresh ideas.

“No doubt college football in general is about matchups and numbers,” he said. “People want to get a positive matchup for them. We’ve got good players on the back end. I’ve seen that already. Guys have the right mindset. You’ve got to create a culture on defense—which I think they’ve already done here. Keep that mindset strong. You’re going to compete all the time. I tell the guys at corner all it takes is two bad plays at corner and everyone thinks you had a bad game. The rest of the game, you could’ve played great. It’s a little different than playing nose guard. Go the wrong way and a linebacker makes the tackle. At corner, you go the wrong way and it’s a touchdown.”